PILLAR FOUR | STRENGTHEN THE FEDERAL CYBER WORKFORCE The federal cyber workforce performs vital work, including: protecting government IT systems, networks, and data from the most sophisticated adversaries; supporting and protecting critical infrastructure; and investigating and prosecuting malicious cyber activity. It is essential to the design, development, and provision of essential products and services that enable the government to deliver high-quality, equitable, and secure services to the American people. This workforce plays a central role in formulating and executing on domestic, foreign, and national security policies that advance our national interests and values and those of international partners and allies, improving the prosperity and security of our country and building resilience around the world. Although many people are attracted to federal service out of a desire to contribute to the government’s mission, departments and agencies can find it challenging to offer competitive salaries.99 Administrative challenges associated with extended hiring and onboarding timelines, currently being addressed through implementation of the President’s Management Agenda and initiatives that include the formation of the Hiring Experience Group by OPM, can make it challenging for departments and agencies to hire top talent.100 Many federal cyber positions require security clearances, leading to further delay in hiring timelines that may deter otherwise qualified job seekers. The Trusted Workforce 2.0 initiative is working to improve personnel vetting, reducing the time required to bring new hires onboard and better enabling the mobility of the federal workforce.101 The federal cyber workforce also faces demographic challenges, including a growing population of workers eligible for retirement and a shortage of workers who are women or members of younger age cohorts.102 The federal government must strengthen its cyber workforce and to do so more effectively it must attract members of underserved and underrepresented groups. A clear description of the varied cyber roles, responsibilities and missions may help to increase interest. The federal government should be a leader in the use of skills-based hiring best practices, which includes using skills-based assessments.103 Qualified professionals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences may be deterred from pursuing opportunities in the federal government by job postings that reference obscure occupational classification series and require credentials such as four-year degrees and certifications. Skills-based hiring appropriately puts the focus on what candidates can do, creating greater openness to candidates with the important cyber skills.104 33 NATIONAL CYBER WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION STRATEGY